FanDuel Casino is already a top US online casino operator, but now’s the time to push for more. More market share, more bettors, and more brand awareness, FanDuel leaders say. To that end, the operator with the No. 1 online sportsbook market share in the country hired an ad agency that will launch a campaign “later this year” with those goals in mind.
FanDuel Publicity Director Kevin Hennessy explained to Bonus.com today why his company hired Mischief @ No Fixed Address.
He said:
We have a great product that is highly rated in the app store and we have made a commitment to growing our online casino business – so the time to bring on an agency like Mischief is now.
FanDuel Sportsbook Ads Are Straightforward
A FanDuel ad showcasing its sportsbook promos in Philadelphia tonight was clear about the app’s function, the commercial’s call to action, and FanDuel’s “no-sweat bet” promotion. (FanDuel recently did away with any “free bet” wording in ads.)
As the simple advertisement illustrates, sports bettors know what they’re getting with the app.
Because New York-based FanDuel and Boston-headquartered DraftKings are as close as it gets to legacy sportsbooks in America.
FanDuel launched its daily fantasy sports (DFS) offerings in 2009.
DraftKings came around in 2012.
Both were first-movers in the real-money online sports betting space after the US Supreme Court repealed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in May 2018.
FanDuel uses that name recognition and brand awareness in its ads in the 15 states where FanDuel Sportsbook is live.
Only four of the 19 legal online sports betting states don’t yet have FanDuel Sportsbook.
FanDuel Eyes Expansion
FanDuel Casino’s been around for three years, with standalone apps launching a couple of years ago.
Asked why FanDuel would pay special attention to its product now with this marketing campaign, Hennessy told Bonus.com today that the company is committed to growing its online casino gambling business.
Thursday’s announcement adds:
The online casino platform, which is currently legal in four states, is critically important to long-term growth given the broader size of the addressable market and the numerous new states considering legalization.
Bonus.com‘s recent reporting shows Illinois and New York may be the closest to legalizing online casino. However, that likely won’t be until 2023.
So right now, only five states offer legal online casino and sports betting.
In the meantime, FanDuel Casino is live as a branded app in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and West Virginia. In Connecticut, the app provided by FanDuel Group is branded as Mohegan Sun Casino.
So Hennessy told Bonus.com today that FanDuel Casino’s four states will see Mischief’s work:
We are looking to bring a 360 campaign to life with a focus on multiple channels.
Thursday’s press release said FanDuel will be betting big “on its treasure chest of games across roulette, blackjack, slots, and live tables.”
That may be a smart move, as Online Poker Report found last year before Connecticut launched its online gambling marketplace:
In full-featured online gambling markets, iGaming is trending towards a 70% share of revenue.
FanDuel Casino to Create (With) Mischief
While FanDuel’s primary owner, Dublin-based Flutter Entertainment, has European brands known for slightly naughty or goofy ads, FanDuel Casino is rather straightlaced.
New York-based Mischief is about to mix that up.
Greg Hahn, Mischief co-founder and CCO, said in Thursday’s announcement about his company becoming the agency of record:
We’re looking forward to creating an unmistakable edge for FanDuel Casino. The FanDuel team are our kind of people: savvy, strategic, and up for rocking the boat.
Hahn’s agency is known for creating smart and irreverent commercials that refrain from snark.
From Coors Light: The Official Beer of Everything Unofficial to Tinder: You’re Not for Everyone, Mischief’s campaigns laugh with the target audiences – not at them.
So that may be the new brand fit for FanDuel Casino.
Thursday’s announcement about the upcoming ad campaign notes that its online casino audience is “broader” than its sports betting demographic. For one thing, 50% of FanDuel Casino gamblers are women.
FanDuel wants to “capture” more of that wider audience for its online casino product. The campaign will also be geared toward cross-selling into its sports products. Those audiences skew male.
Daniele Phillips, VP of casino brand strategy at FanDuel Group, said on Thursday:
We’re entering uncharted territory as more and more states begin to welcome online casinos. And as FanDuel Casino introduces and acquaints itself to people across North America, we want to do it in an unexpected way that is so distant from category conventions. This is a sector ripe for disruption. So, it’s only fitting that our agency partner specializes in blowing stuff up. Mischief is the leader of disruption, and strategically powerful ideas which have proven to move business time and time again. We can’t wait to make an impact together.
FanDuel Casino Ranks Below BetMGM Casino
FanDuel Casino is one of the Big Three US online casino operators, but BetMGM is No. 1.
The joint venture between Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts International and Isle of Man-headquartered Entain held 29% of the iGaming market share during Q2 2022.
Unlike market veteran FanDuel, the Jersey City, NJ-based operator BetMGM just formed in July 2018. However, MGM had built-in brand recognition based on its more than 30-year-long history in retail casinos.
So Bonus.com asked Hennessy if FanDuel is trying to unseat BetMGM Casino. Will this FanDuel Casino marketing campaign end BetMGM’s market share plurality?
Hennessy told Bonus.com today:
While we stay humble, we always strive to be the best at what we do. We see enormous potential for growth for FanDuel Casino and we love the fact that Mischief is behind us.
He said there’ll be more to talk about once the campaign begins.
“We need to let Mischief get to work,” Hennessy concluded.
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